Guu Izakaya

Guu Izakaya was ranked as one of Toronto's Top 10 Restaurants in last month's issue of Toronto Life. The restaurant is located in a relatively quiet area of downtown, Church and Carleton, which makes the moment you enter the restaurant all the more surprising - there's that simultaneous greet from the entire staff, and the overall buzz of the restaurant. The vibe is really hard to describe -- it's definitely something you have to experience yourself.

In addition to the atmosphere, the quality of the food is absolutely amazing. It's not the typical sushi/bento that we're used to (which, by the way, isn't even found on the menu). Guu specializes in Japanese tapas such as okonomiyaki, grilled oysters, raw prawns, bibimbap, beef sashimi - just some of the items we ordered. I like to think of it as Japanese style dim sum. It was so great that I didn't even think to capture any photos of the food - I don't think a photo of the raw prawns would do the restaurant justice anyway.

Guu Izakaya will definitely score you some points on your next date - yes, it is that good.